ploy

Plural: ploys

Noun

an opening remark intended to secure an advantage for the speaker
a maneuver in a game or conversation
A tactic, strategy, or scheme.
Sport; frolic.
Employment.

Verb

Verb Forms: ployed, ploying, ploys

To move from a line formation into columns, typically in military drill.
To form a column from a line of troops on some designated subdivision.

Examples

He watched his opponent PLOY their tiles, hoping to discern their strategic intent.
The free T-shirt is really a ploy to get you inside to see their sales pitch.

Origin / Etymology

Possibly from a shortened form of employ or deploy. Or from earlier ploye, from Middle English, borrowed from Middle French ployer (compare modern plier), from Latin plicāre.

Synonyms

gambit, stratagem

Antonyms

deploy

Scrabble Score: 9

ploy: valid Scrabble (US) TWL Word
ploy: valid Scrabble Word in Merriam-Webster MW Dictionary
ploy: valid Scrabble Word in International Collins CSW Dictionary

Words With Friends Score: 10

ploy: valid Words With Friends Word